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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Day 11 of the GeneaBloggers Games

Finally completed Task A for Challenge 2: Prepare a comprehensive backup plan for your digital research files and a security plan for your hard copies and photos.

To sum up: I wrote a checklist for the monthly backups (flash drive, LaCie, and Mozy-type service for my genealogy program and genealogy folder plus uploading all new photos to a photo service) and a To Do list for centralizing and storing my hard-copy photos and documents.

I need to buy a good scanner and scan my photos. My photo albums, loose hard-copy photos, and old negatives could occupy an entire room all by themselves. The older family photos are all in the same waterproof container, but all the photos we have taken over the past 30+ years (plus some old negatives) need to be consolidated into one location better than they currently are.

I would like to solicit recommendations on the following:

1. A good scanner

2. Online data storage/backup service: Mozy, Google Docs, or ?

3. Online photo service: Flickr, Picasa, or ? (I have a Mac, if that makes a difference.)

6 comments:

Regarding online photo services: I have been using Shutterfly.com for a number of years now. Initially I started an account because I still like to print up the snapshots of our vacations. However, I have started uploading scanned copies of older family photos. They allow you to organize your photos in folders and as near as I can tell, you get unlimited storage.

I have also used many of their other products in addition to printing such as making photo books, calendars, mousepads, posters and other gifts and been very pleased.

I to am considering a new scanner so I will be interested in any comments that are made.

Good for you in writing up a backup plan!! That is something I really should do but thinking about it makes my head hurt too!

I recommend Google Docs and Dropbox, since they have different functions and better safe than sorry:-) I can send you a dropbox invitation if you want, which will get you some extra space free.

This is the scanner I have CanonScan LiDE200. It works really well and is so thin I can fit it in my laptop bag, which works well when I visit relatives. It also connects right into your computer through its USB cable, so no power cord to look after.

Michelle and Amanda - Thank you for your words of advice. This gives me something specific to look into. I have a lot of new computer needs and hope that least some will be here by next Christmas.... Love the idea of a scanner small enough to carry with me!

Linda - Your words are a comfort to me. I don't know why backup is such an overwhelming process to me, but it is. I did a full backup a couple of months ago, but I remember having to be walked through it and that it took a long time.

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About Me

After spending my formative years paying no heed to all the family stories, I got hooked on genealogy later in life and am now trying to catch up. My husband and I had long ago developed an interest in graveyards and have enjoyed visiting them while on vacation. I have started two Graveyard Rabbit blogs as a way, in addition to my participation in Findagrave, to help make information to other people who are researching their family history.
If you would like to get in touch with me, simply click on the link below entitled "View My Complete Profile"; this will take you to my Profile page, where you can click on the "Email" link under Contact (right below my profile picture, aka my cat R.B. trying to catch a balloon).